Last year, Google invested more than $900 million in clean energy projects. But does it have an energy policy? Does it need one?

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Why Google Invests in Clean Energy

Walmart in particular marks a big leap forward, coming up from 15th place three months ago to land in third place. Generating green power on-site — where Walmart is the second-biggest green power creator — is what helped move the retailer up.

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Intel, Kohl’s, Walmart Lead EPA’s Green Power Purchasers List

Sayak017: Going green and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases has been our motto for quite some time now. But the truth is renewable forms of energy are yet to leave a firm footprint in our lives so that our carbon footprints start disappearing. Solar energy is one such example which has tremendous potential but is yet to be harnessed. The first generation photovoltaic cells were developed in Bell laboratories in 1954. So the concept and technology goes back quite some time in history. But still we are plagued by concerns of reduced efficiencies and intermittent supply concerns. These are eternal problems that have kept the solar market from booming. However, Professor David Faiman, the director of the National Solar Energy Center and associated with Ben-Gurion University have found a way to make proper use of a “thousand splendid suns”. And this has got less to do with literature and more to do with science and tech. Fairman and his start-up company Zenith Solar (of Israel) using its Z20 technology has come up with Concentrated Photovoltaic systems (CPV). Each of the CPV cells can generate 5kW of heat and 2kW of power. Hence, the efficiency of the solar cells is increased manifolds and they are being used to generate power and feed the national grid of Israel. The CPV systems consist of reflective mirrors made of silicon that concentrates the rays falling on the large reflector dishes on the solar cells. However, the system gets heated up and needs to be cooled by water. This water is then directed to a heat exchanger and used at site. Using this Z20 technology, Kibbutz Yavne in Israel is producing and selling electricity to the national grid and providing hot water for 220 community residents. Hence this can be used on a larger scale worldwide. It has another advantage of reduced cost. Fairnam says, “Traditional photovoltaic cells do two things: collect sunlight and generate electricity from it. What we’ve done is simply split those two functions, so that the sunlight is collected and concentrated by a dish-shaped mirror, and a small number of concentrator cells generate electricity from that highly concentrated sunlight. Photovoltaic material is far too expensive to waste on something that can be accomplished with cheap glass and steel.” The CPV receiver only comprises 5% of the overall cost. Also, it requires less land to set up the facility. However, some disadvantages remain. For instance, in case of cloud cover the receptors’ efficiency reduces drastically. This “shadow effect” has been a perennial problem for solar cells. But I guess even the bright sun has its own spots. What matters is how we work around our problems and look at the bigger and brighter picture! Via: greenprophet

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Advanced solar cells to provide with more heat and electricity

Eco Factor: Low-cost water disinfection system powered by solar energy. The idea of using solar energy for purifying water has been around for ages and is still practiced in different parts of the globe. However, now a team of students from the University of Washington have come up with a bright idea taking a little bit of technical help to devise a low-cost solution to a global problem. Using simple parts, the student team has developed a cheap setup solution for drinking water in poor areas, which has won them a $40,000 prize. The team reports that using parts from a keychain that blinks in response to light, they have created a device that monitors how light is passing through a water-filled bottle and how many particulates are obstructing the light. When enough particulates are removed, the sensor alerts that the water is now safe to drink. The student team believes that the device can be retailed at just $3.40, which makes it a viable solution for many parts of the world. Via: Treehugger

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UW students develop low-cost solar-powered water purification system

Eco Factor: Zero-emission electric bicycle concept. Eco-conscious designer Juliano Bortolin aims to make zero emission bicycle transport more attractive for people who respect the environment and its resources with a new concept electric bike dubbed the E-Bike Summer Life. Designed for people who love surfing, nature and outdoor life, the E-bike features six lithium batteries that help propel the bike. The electric batteries are stored in the front frame, which power the bike’s rear wheel. With great weight distribution, the electric bike offers a comfortable way to travel. The fluid form structure of the E-Bike is made from recycled aluminum that can be customized with different colors and devices, like a surfboard holder or bag racks. The E-bike also features an onboard computer, which can help control the speed of the bike, and measures the distance traveled. Moreover, the E-Bike will also include a GPS system and an iPhone holder. Thanks: [ Juliano Bortolin ]

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E-bike Summer Life customizable electric bicycle for those who care for the greens

The state’s groundbreaking carbon market, which cleared its final hurdle yesterday, puts California on the front lines of the climate fight, although there are still areas that can make the law even more powerful.

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California Leads the Nation in Clean Energy with Carbon Market Approval

Eco Factor: Low-cost fuel cells developed by replacing platinum with cheaper materials. Researchers at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created all-ceramic thin-film solid-oxide fuel cells that don’t contain any platinum. If the development could make its way into production, the world could be seeing fuel cells that use more abundant and less expensive fuels and materials. Traditionally SOFCs need platinum-coated electrodes, which can be both expensive and unreliable. The all-ceramic fuel cells are most cost effective and can be used as a reliable power source. The Harvard team has also created a micro-SOFC that draws its power from methane rather than hydrogen. Traditionally, hydrogen has been the medium of choice for SOFCs, but methane is more abundant, cheaper and needs less processing. The micro-SOFC developed by the team has an operating temperature of less than 500 degrees Celsius, which conventionally is about 800 degrees Celsius. The research team wants to even reduce the operating temperature to about 300C, at which the cells can be used in transportation vehicles. Via: Gizmag

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Harvard researchers create platinum-free fuel cells

Eco Factor: PV power plant to generate about 70MW of renewable electric power. SunEdison announced plans to build Europe’s largest photovoltaic power plant in Italy in March this year. Just nine short months after being given the green light, the company has inaugurated the plant, which has been built in a city between Bologna and Venice. The clean energy power plant will generate about 70MW of power, which is enough to power 17,000 homes. According to the company, the new plant at Rovigo is the largest single solar farm in Europe and will help in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 40,000 tons – the equivalent of taking 8000 cars off the road. Via: Treehugger

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SunEdison inaugurates Europe’s largest photovoltaic power plant

Eco Factor: Technology promises better fuel consumption by converting engine exhaust into electricity. Researchers at Purdue University are creating a system that harvests heat from an engine’s exhaust to generate electricity, reducing a car’s fuel consumption. The research is being funded with a $1.4 million, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Purdue team is collaborating with General Motors, which is developing a prototype using thermoelectric generators, or TEGs. The TEGs generate an electric current to charge batteries and power a car’s electrical systems, reducing the engine’s workload and improving fuel economy. The prototype, to be installed in the exhaust system behind the catalytic converter, will harvest heat from gases that are about 700 degrees Celsius. While current thermoelectric technology cannot withstand the temperatures inside catalytic converters, where gases are about 1,000 degrees Celsius, researchers are now working on new thermoelectrics capable of withstanding such high temperatures, a step that would enable greater fuel savings. The first prototype aims to reduce fuel consumption by 5 percent, and future systems capable of working at higher temperatures could make possible a 10 percent reduction. Via: Purdue University [Press Release]

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Researchers developing technology to use car engine exhaust to generate electricity

Eco Factor: Silica from desert sand to be used to make solar panels for renewable energy. A team of Japanese scientists have come up with an ingenious proposal to provide 50 percent of the world’s energy needs by utilizing sand from the Sahara desert. Christened “The Sahara Solar Breeder Project,” the plan calls for the development of silicon-manufacturing plants that will be powered by the sun and will further breed more plants for more power. According to statistics, the sun delivers 10,000 times more energy to the Earth than the current requirements, which means that even if we harness 0.01 percent of it, it would create a surplus. The plan is to use desert sand to make a substance that provides energy, which will be the key to solving the energy problem. While technology to convert silica into silicon for solar panels doesn’t exist, the researchers are confident that it is definitely doable. The research is starting this year and will require an expenditure of 100 million yen annually for five years. The initial aim of the research team is to build a solar plant with an annual capacity of at least 100GW, which would truly help to solve the world’s energy problems. Via: CNNGo / DigInfo TV

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Japanese scientists aim to solve energy crisis by using desert sand